Between A Rock and a Hard Place Thomas Foley, PE Environmental Manager Vulcan Materials, Northern Concrete Division Environmental Issues Affecting the Ready-Mix Concrete Industry Concrete

Environmental Issues Fly Ash Jobsite Truck Cleaning New MDE Permit Leftover Concrete Sustainability

Fly Ash What is Fly Ash –Non-combustible portion of Coal –Collected from power plant exhaust –Is a pozzolan, makes concrete stronger, more durable –Increased workability and durability in concrete

Fly Ash Fly Ash has a beneficial use in concrete Concrete is a beneficial reuse for Fly Ash –No need to landfill Fly Ash becoming increasingly important with LEED and Green building programs –Use of a recycled product –Reduce the amount of cement

Fly Ash December 22, 2008 –Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Fossil Plant in Roane County, Tennessee –84 Acre solid waste containment area –1.1 Billion Gallons fly ash slurry released –Spill covered 300 acres –Will take years to clean up –Costs upward of $1Billion

Fly Ash Incident has aroused the public Strong lobby to increase regulations surrounding Fly Ash Regulating this as a hazardous waste would effectively end the ability to reuse in concrete

Jobsite Truck Cleaning Clean truck prior to leaving job Roadway hazard, material falling from truck Focus from MDOT roadside inspections –Cleaner truck, fewer inspections? Trucks are public image

Jobsite Truck Cleaning

We rely on the contractor –Location and maintenance of wash down facilities –Becomes part of storm water plan We rely on our drivers –Train on what is ok and not ok –Get sales or operations involved if needed –Can leave a lasting image on the site

New MDE Discharge Permit New requirements –Toxicity testing of our discharge –New raw materials (admixtures) may trigger testing, or renewed testing Approval process through MDE –Increased benefit to operating no-discharge –Tightening of discharge limits

Leftover Concrete Perishable product –Short window for usability Short loads vs leftover Reclaimers Recycled concrete aggregates –Additional processing –Competition with traditional aggregates

Sustainability Meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs Environmental – Economic - Social Energy conservation Zero waste stream

Sustainability Recycle water –Need to recycle water – in fresh concrete –Conflicts with some spec’s, need to work on that –Reduce regulatory burden Increase our use of recycled aggregates –Collecting data –Work on spec’s

Questions?